Synthetic vs. Naturals: The Battle Is On ** Or ** Conspiracy Involving the Synthetic Industry and the EU

[Guest guest]

An earlier article .. from January 2006. Remember folks .. business is

about money .. government is about power and you need money to have power ..

and .. its next to impossible to patent a natural product. Butch

 

http://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/news/ng.asp?n=65429-sense-about-science-na\

tural-synthetic-ingredient

 

*Synthetic vs. Naturals: The Battle Is On*

*

 

*By Simon Pitman

 

27/01/2006 - *A report published by the group Sense About Science

questioning the safety and legislation behind natural ingredients has drawn

criticism from a number of researchers, who have leapt to the defense of the

market.*

 

UK-based Sense About

Science<javascript:KeywordSearch('KEYWORDS=Sense+About+Science & period=all & inner=\

1');>published

the full report on Wednesday, receiving attention from the global

consumer media. Its implications for personal care and cosmetics industry

are widespread, and particularly pertinent in view of the huge increase in

popularity of natural-based products.

 

The report, entitled 'Making Sense of Chemical Stories', primarily aims to

rubbish claims often made on personal care products that they are

chemical-free. It says that such claims are 'nonsense', stating that all

products contains chemicals to some degree or another, even if all the

ingredients are

natural<javascript:KeywordSearch('KEYWORDS=natural & period=all & inner=1');>.

 

 

It also stresses that there are numerous toxic compounds that can and do

exist in leading natural ingredients used in cosmetic, cosmeutical,

supplements and pharmaceutical products and claims that

synthetic<javascript:KeywordSearch('KEYWORDS=synthetic & period=all & inner=1');>cou\

nterparts

can often be proved as safer because of tougher legislation.

 

* " What is occupying minds at Cropwatch is why exactly Sense About Science is

stepping into this arena, and what it means for the future of natural

products. We are still trying to find this out, " * said Tony Burfield,

Cropwatch spokesperson.

 

Burfield went on to contradict claims made in the Report that the

legislation for natural substances is relatively lenient compared to that of

synthetic substances.

 

* " Up to now we have noticed that the safety of naturals issues in cosmetics,

biocides and other areas was increasingly under the microscope, to the

extent that you could be forgiven in thinking a vendetta against natural

products was operating, " * he said.

 

Burfield stresses that the publication of the Sense About Science report

appears to provide further evidence that there is an industry-backed program

to fight against the reputation of natural based products and ingredients.

 

* " The safety of naturals draws on good knowledge and botany, economic

botany, phytochemistry, experimental design, physiological biochemistry and

many, many other disciplines " ,* Burfield added.

 

But going beyond the heavy legislation and safety testing, many individuals

working in industries where natural-based products form a core focus agree

with the old adage that what mother nature bestows upon us is best.

 

Neil Levin, spokesperson of US-based Now Foods, sums up the reaction of many

about the criticisms aimed at natural products by the report.

 

* " I believe that 'natural is better', because nature has a wisdom in

producing chemicals an out bodies have adapted to their presence. Many of

these are essential to life, " * Levin said.

 

* " Nothing in the Sense About Science report convinces me that I should

prefer being exposed to the not-quite-identical man-made versions of

naturally occurring chemicals or totally synthetic, environmentally

persistent, synthetic chemicals.

 

" Sense About Science promises to uses scientific evidence in its reporting,

but my review of the research convinces me that this promise was not kept. "

 

If you would like to comment on the Sense About Science report or any of the

comments made in this article, then please email the editor, specifying

whether or not your comments are for publication.

*